The following are words given by participants at the streamed meeting. 1 Corinthians 14:29 says that "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others weigh carefully what is said." 1 Thess 5:19-21 tells us not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and retain what is good.
Scripture Reading at beginning of meeting Psalm 34:4 - "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears."
What resonated with me was when we were singing, "You are our hope, Lord." This is our Christmas season message: Jesus is our hope, and we all long to be in his presence. So, I pray this will continue throughout the year.
Prophetic Sense - "The goodness of the Lord is in our midst."
Scripture Reading Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory."
Scripture Reading Psalm 77:11-15 - "I will remember your great deeds, Lord; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts. Everything you do, O God, is holy. No god is as great as you. You are the God who works miracles; you showed your might among the nations. By your power you saved your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph."
Scripture Reading John 6:32-35 - "Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.""
I am reflecting on what has already been shared and what the Lord has for us: this strong sense of God as our provider.
Scripture Reading Romans 8:28 - "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose."
Visions - First I saw a horse. It was white and brown, almost like there was some gold mixed in too. It was very close. Then I saw what looked like a child Jesus, maybe about 14 years old and it was as though he was walking through the wilderness with a stick, and he was just like coming out of the wilderness."
Prophecy - "My heart is overflowing with love for you, my children. My Holy Spirit is waiting to do your bidding, waiting for your petition, waiting to heal those you love and those you pray for. Reach out to him. He is waiting, use your faith. Be obedient to his direction."
I was touched by the Entrance Antiphon today. It just really stood out for me. "A people who walk in darkness has seen a great light." And that light is Jesus. I just felt that we need to really look at Jesus during these times when things are getting a little dark."
Scripture Reading Isaiah 42:6-7 - "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon and from the prisons those who sit in darkness." ....... Tonight, our son is in the midst of a crisis. Our son has been dealing with alcoholism since he was 14 years old. He fell today and for the first time he said, "I met Jesus. I experienced his presence in the midst of that darkness." ...... Prophecy - "My children, I desire that you be free from those bondages that keep you in the midst of hell, in the midst of dire despair and hopelessness. For this is why I have sent my Son Jesus to be born among you, that you may be free, that you may be delivered and know how good of a God that I truly am. With my love for you I will remove all fears, all shame and guilt if you but surrender your pain, surrender all your fears and all your worries to me. Tonight I want to give you a special gift, a gift that will carry you through the rest of your life if you but keep this gift with faith, with truth and with hunger. And that gift is a gift of trust. My people, there were many out there who do not trust me. All they have known has been hardships, trials and tribulation. I am calling you, my children, to be an instrument of my voice, to proclaim the good news that deliverance is possible, that I am alive and that I can and will free them if they but turn to me and ask and seek my mercy. Through your eyes, through your words, through your hands, that mercy will be revealed to them not in majestic ways but in simple ways, the simple day to day gestures of loving actions that you bestow to the people I place in your lives."
Scripture Reading Zechariah 8:1-8 - "This word of the Lord of hosts came: Thus says the lord of hosts: I am intensely jealous for Zion, stirred to jealous wrath for her. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and I will dwell within Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women, each with staff in hand because of old age, shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem. The city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in her streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even if this should seem impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people, shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem. They shall be my people, and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice."
I just want to check on something. B, you had a vision of a child around 14 years old coming out of the wilderness with a stick? Then L., you said your son has been in crisis with alcohol since he was 14 years old. Was that a word for you? Cling to that word!
Fr. Dave Pivonka, T.O.R. spoke on Abandonment to the Spirit. Fr. is utterly convinced that what the church needs is the power of the Holy Spirit that animates our life. So many people hear that God is calling them to something good, something holy, something virtuous and we're not giving them the ability to do that. We want to be holy. We try to do it on our own and we don't have the ability to do that; we get frustrated, etc. We try harder and it leads us to despair. The moment we say that we just can't do it is the moment that we are invited to abandon ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Dave believes this is the time of the Holy Spirit. The last three popes prayed for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Father has said the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit, the greatest gift of God is God himself. Catechism 1213: The Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.
A life which should be animated by His grace, a life which allows us to live a life fully alive. Jesus said, "I come so that you may have life and have it abundantly." A life not just to survive, not just to get by. The Lord wants to pour out his grace upon us and to reveal himself to us. i.e. You don't see the tropical fish in the ocean until you put a mask on and put your face in the water. This is an analogy for the Holy Spirit.
There is a new life that God wants to give us, a supernatural life, a life of signs and wonders, miracles and healings. It's available to us only to the degree we are encountering and experiencing the Holy Spirit. We are helpless without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:11: John the Baptist said, "I have baptized you in water but one is coming after me and he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit." Mark 1:8, Luke 3:15, John 1:33, Acts chapters 1 & 2. Thomas Aquinas: "Through this reception of the Holy Spirit there is a sense of the inhabitation. We experience Pentecost.
The apostles saw Jesus raise the dead, heal the sick, etc., yet before Pentecost they were in a room with the doors locked, filled with fear. Whatever happened to them at Pentecost, changed them. They now had the power to do what Jesus was inviting them to.
When the Spirit comes upon us, He reveals who Jesus is.
Romans 8:14 - "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear but you have received the spirit of adoption through which we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself gives witness to our spirit that we are children of God."
We abandon ourselves to a God who is our Father, not a master. The Spirit allows us to be God's children. Spirit of adoption - According to Roman law, if you had a child you could abandon that child for whatever reason. But if you adopted a child, you could never abandon that child because you knew what you were getting. God knows everything about you and he still chose you.
Romans 5:5 - "Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured forth into our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit that's been given to us."
Cardinal Cantalamessa said if you could put all the words, all the Scriptures and narrow it down to three words it would be that GOD IS LOVE.
Marilyn thanked everyone for their prayers. Re Vincent - The tumor that was removed hadn't grown in the last number of months. She thanked God for that. And the Ukrainian Metropolitan who had Covid and pneumonia and was in the hospital for three months, was on the ventilator and hooked up to dialysis is home now. He is extremely grateful. Thank you Lord!!
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